Shifting logics: Limitations on the journey from 'state' to 'market' logic in UK higher education

Alexander, Elizabeth; Phillips, Wendy; Kapletia, Dharm

Abstract

© Policy Press 2018. Our study of UK higher education institutions (HEIs) offers insights into the role of institutional logics in the adoption of organisational practices - specifically outsourcing. We identify two logics prevalent within HEIs: a public service 'state logic' and a 'market logic'. While adherence to the market logic supports commercial-based practices such as outsourcing, organisations enact competing logics in complex ways. Outsourcing is mainly limited to peripheral activities segmented from the core while a nascent cooperative solution is emerging as HEIs co-opt practices and discourse of outsourcing to justify hybrid relationships that marry competing logics in a process of selective coupling.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 15, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 15, 2017
• Publication Date: Oct 31, 2017
• Deposit Date: Aug 16, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 13, 2017
• Journal: Policy and politics
• Print ISSN: 0305-5736
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-8442
• Publisher: Policy Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 46
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 551-569
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/030557317X15052077338233
• Keywords: strategic sourcing, institutional logics, higher education, outsourcing, organisational practices, university, NPM, marketization
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/879298
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1332/030557317X15052077338233
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy edited version of an article published in Policy & Politics. The definitive publisher-authenticated version [Alexander, E., Phillips, W. and Kapletia, D. (2017) Shifting logics: Limitations on the journey from ‘state’ to ‘market’ logic in UK higher education. Policy & Politics, 46 (4). pp. 551-569. ISSN 0305-5736] is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1332/030557317X15052077338233.
• Contract Date: Aug 16, 2017